


Stormy Weather Friendship

by KiwiKat_Writes



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Aang and Zuko share trauma and bond, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Good Platonic Zukaang Friendship Bc I Want Them To Be Friends, The Storm au, Zuko has gold eyes and Aang has silver eyes I See Symbolism Of Some Kind Somewhere, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, and Aang just loses his mind, and Zuko says something p nonsensical, at this point I'm a literary professor making connections, basically Aang doesn't stop in the cave, bonding moment, but there are other things that'll happen too, ding dong bing bong Angsty Backstory Incoming, honestly they're like super alike, i make a LOT of liberties w Aang's past here sorry yall, it probs will only really affect The Storm, lalalalallalalalalallalalala how to tag, like they both cant return home, slaps platonic Zukaang, they become friens, they'll be fighting, they've both been hurt by people they thought they could trust, this bad boy can fit so much platonic love and inside jokes in it, yeah like half of that is I Do Not Know
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-24
Updated: 2020-07-17
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:40:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24890950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KiwiKat_Writes/pseuds/KiwiKat_Writes
Summary: This is dedicated to Literal_Multifandom_Trashcan, who let me bounce the ideas for this story off them and helped me get started writing! Their stories are glorious, so go check them out!
Relationships: Aang & Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 120





	1. The Storm

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Literal_Multifandom_Trashcan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Literal_Multifandom_Trashcan/gifts).



> This is dedicated to Literal_Multifandom_Trashcan, who let me bounce the ideas for this story off them and helped me get started writing! Their stories are glorious, so go check them out!

Aang wasn't sure why he was still running. The rain was lashing his face, but at this point he couldn't tell whether the water dripping out of his eyes were rain or tears. His glider was in danger of crashing, but right now he couldn't stop, had to keep going, had to keep running-

The old man's words replayed in his mind again.

_ You turned your back on the world! _

_ Then I guess I just have imagined the last hundred years of war and suffering. _

_ That's right! Keep flying! _

Aang stifled another sob, screwing his eyes shut against the rain. His glider creaked ominously, before a worrying 'snap' of tension and the wind stopped supporting his right side. It was still there, just weaker. His eyes popped open and he glanced back, missing the cave in the wall of the mountain.

"No, no, nonononononono!" The glider's wing had just popped in, but it was something that he'd have to land to fix. And right now, his priority was getting away from that old man, his biting words, and the harsh reality of what he'd done in his own selfish rage. 

He felt a stab of guilt for leaving Appa behind, but he knew that the bison would either track him down or he'd go back to the town before anyone got too worried. The town's bay was a harbor, so it should be safe from waves. 

But... he had to leave. And he knew that he had messed up in flying away, but... he had been having nightmares of his people's demise for days now. The poor sleep from the nights before, and the harsh words of the fisherman, it had all been too much for him.

Sometimes he wondered if people forgot he was, technically, 12. Sure, they didn't know that his 12th birthday had been about two days before he ran, but he was still 12! Why was he the only one with the ability to save the world? Earthbending... fire is weak against rocks, they'd easily be able to find a way to stop Ozai! Who needed him when they had themselves?

Who would need him? It always seemed that just as people started liking him, they'd either turn away or ignore him yet again. First in the temple, it had been his unconventional arrival. His mother was a runaway from the Eastern Air Temple, and she left because she refused to give him up. He had been about three years old when she took him and ran, and he just remembered screaming for her to come back when they were separated at the Southern Air Temple. Not her name, just her. Mom.

The other children had been wary because of his attachment to his mom, and because of that he was never asked to play like others were. He would take solace in the four toys he would play with, the toys that always seemed to calm him down. But now, the thought of them almost physically hurt him. They were the reason he was known as the Avatar. If he hadn't played with them... he'd be normal.

The children finally started playing with him, but that changed as soon as he got his tattoos. When he got them, it was jealousy-infused ignorance, not confused ignorance. They were jealous of his accomplishments, and many times he had laid awake and sobbed and just wished that he'd never thought of the air scooter. 

Then... it changed. They included him, even asked him to teach them the air scooter! But then...

His being proclaimed the Avatar just drove the wedge deeper. They didn't want anything to do with him anymore. And then they were going to take Gyatso away from him, and, and-

He yelped as his glider wings finally buckled into the staff, sending him crashing down to the floor. He bounced and rolled a couple times, groaning when he finally stopped. A salty scent permeated his nostrils, clearing his head as he inhaled the pungent scent of the sea. His tears slowed, but the hurt remained. Nevertheless, he squashed a lid onto his negative emotions and forced himself to his feet, wincing as his joints ached with the sudden movement. Even with the lid in him forcing the negativity back, he still felt embarrassingly close to tears. Roughly rubbing his face off with his sleeve, he grabbed his glider and started walking, trying to find shelter from the pouring rain. A darkness in the already-dim rocks surrounding him caught his attention and he almost started crying when he saw that it was a cave. Dry.

  
  
  


Zuko growled as he stomped through the rocky turf, desperately looking for a cover from the onslaught of rain. Uncle Iroh had sent him off the ship near a shore he hadn't bothered to learn the name of, to 'take a walk and cool that head off!' According to him, if he wouldn't drink the stupid jasmine tea he would have to calm himself down. Unfortunately, the storm had arrived while he was out, and he had been caught out in it.

So here he was, glancing into every nook and cranny to find a shelter away from the storm. 

Finally, his piercing gold gaze found purpose. A small cave, tucked away into a crevice between two rocks. It was small, but it would definitely fit him, maybe even Uncle Iroh if he were here. 

As he approached the mouth of the cave, something caught his ear before he stepped in. Pausing, he listened carefully, and- there it was again. A stilted sob, sounding like it caught in the throat of whoever let it out and painful and raw. It sounded young, so it was definitely not an adult. What was a kid doing out in this storm?

So Zuko stepped into the cave, and all of his ideas on how to calm a kid down (fire??? maybe???) stuttered to a halt when he saw just who it was crying in the dark.

So, he may not be an expert on emotions, but why was the Avatar himself crying, alone, without even his weird flying bison to keep him company?

Half of Zuko demanded that he capture the Avatar right now, restore his honor...

But the other half, the one he thought he'd buried, was screaming at him to comfort him, hear his story out. Talk to him.

But... then he'd have to do emotions. And he didn't know how to do emotions, that was Uncle Iroh's suit. Not his!

Before he could do anything, a piece of armor clinked against another as he moved, and almost before he knew it the Avatar was up and pointing his staff at him threateningly. In the dark, Zuko could barely tell he'd been crying. 

"Z-zuko! What are you doing here?" Ignoring the tremble in his voice, Zuko tried to make his voice light and uncaring.

"Had to get out of the storm, this is the only cave in this dragon's bane of a shoreline." The Avatar nodded, plopping back down. For an enemy, he was surprisingly amiable now that he knew Zuko's intentions weren't to fight. Zuko silently noted how small the Avatar was before shucking his armor and awkwardly sitting in the cave. Outside, rain pounded and wind howled, and lightning crashed over the ocean. 

  
  


Aang sniffled, trying to keep the noise as quiet as he could. Normally, he'd have just kept crying. But with the arrival of Prince Zuko himself? No way! They were enemies, even if they were bunking together. It was just till the storm drew over, nothing more!

Behind him, Zuko shuffled and then roaring heat enveloped his back. Almost against his will, his muscles relaxed and he let out a quiet sigh in response to the beautiful heat. Feeling his back slowly dry, he eventually shuffled around so he was facing the flame and, consequentially, Zuko.

Now that he really studied Zuko's face, he saw something he hadn't before. In the soft light thrown by the small blaze in the center of the cave, the fire prince looked... young. Haunted, but young.

So, before he knew it, he was talking.

"Uh, so why do you always chase me? You look pretty young, isn't there like anything else for you to be doing right now?" Zuko startled a bit, before his lip curled.

"It's none of your business why I chase you, Avatar, and I'm 16!" The snapped reply had Aang drawing back, putting his hands up in an exaggerated motion.

"Okay, okay! I was just asking, sorry!" The cave fell into awkward silence, until Zuko shuffled on the floor of the cave. 

"And- uh, anyways, you have no right to ask how old I am! You look like you're nine years old!" Aang felt a stab of anger, but this wasn't normal anger. It felt lighter...

"Excuse you, I'm 12!" Zuko let a sudden whoosh of air out, and Aang tilted his head. What was that about? He just let his own breath of air out, before asking the next question on his mind.

"Sooo..... are you, like, running away from Fire Lord Ozai, or something? Is he not a good dad? I'd assume, since he's the Lord, and you're his successor, that he'd treat you okay. Is that not-" He cut himself off when he realized how stiff Zuko had gone, and he quickly backtracked.

"-uh, oh, I'm sorry! I don't want to pry, but-"

"No, no, you're okay." Zuko's voice was almost soft, and Aang only wondered a moment at the seeming change of heart.

"Ozai isn't- he isn't the best dad. I'm- I don't see this as running away, but it could probably be read as that by those who don't know the full story." Aang tilted his head again, curiosity burning in him as brightly as the flame in front of him. ZUko didn't exactly seem like he was dropping his backstory right now, though. They fell into silence yet again, at least, until Zuko (surprisingly) broke it.

"So... how are the Airbender Monks?" And that statement had air whooshing out of Aang's lungs like he'd been kicked in the diaphragm, and a quiet buzz fell over his ears as he processed the question. Staring at Zuko, he tried to convey that question back to his impromptu chatting partner. Zuko just furrowed his eyebrows, until dread dawned in his golden eyes.

"Oh- oh, I... I forgot, sorry." The silence, heavier this time, settled back over them. Aang was left to try and reign the emotions that had been inadvertently unlocked by that declaration back in, while Zuko just sat quietly. 

  
  


Zuko silently cursed himself for the question. He knew what had happened to the Airbenders! He knew that they were all extinct, except for the Avatar! He had genuinely forgotten, but still! 

He shifted awkwardly on the floor, trying to sort out everything he'd learned in this one short conversation so far. The Avatar, master of every element, was 12. 4 years younger than him.

How was he supposed to take that?

"So... how did you escape the Fire Nation? I know they massacred your people, but how did you hide?"

Almost instantly, he mentally slapped himself in the face. He was a bonafide idiot. He knew that watching the massacre of everyone he knows and loves would mess with the Avatar, why'd he have to ask?

"I was already gone..." His gaze snapped to the Avatar, who had reeled back and clapped his hands over his mouth. He looked into the Avatar's silver eyes, finding only horror of what had slipped out, seemingly against his will.

"What... do you mean, already gone?" The Avatar flinched at the question, but with a heavy sigh he lowered his hands and answered Zuko.

"W... When I was told I was the Avatar, it became too much. No one wanted to spend time with me, and I was only ever training or spending time with Gyatso, my mentor. The Council called him in, and they decided that I would be sent away from the only person who still tried to make me feel welcome, without either my or his consent. So... I did what I thought was right. I wrote Gyatso a note, saying that I'd be back, got Appa, and... I ran away. I... I didn't see them killed." Zuko felt a swell of empathy in his chest. He got what it was like to not feel wanted. But... agh, he wasn't good with emotions! What does someone say in a situation like this?

"That's rough, buddy."

Please, Fire Lord Ozai, have pity and strike him down.

  
  


Aang blinked at the statement, before he felt a laugh escape his throat. The blunt sentence somehow relieved the tension in the cave in a way nothing else could, and he found himself smiling. Zuko looked mortified, but it really wasn't that bad!

"Zuko, you're okay! That was okay!"

"Avatar, in what way?"

"Okay, for one, it helped the mood! And two, you do know my name is Aang, right? Not Avatar!" Zuko somehow looked even more embarrassed, which made him fight to stifle a snicker. But he still had questions... and he had answered Zuko's. Maybe?

"So... why are you running away from the Fire Lord?" Zuko looked up at him, cocking an eyebrow. 

"Not running. I was... injured... in an Agni Kai, and when I woke up I was on a ship. My objective? To capture you. I'm not allowed in the Fire Nation until I capture you." Aang tilted his head, furrowing his brows.

"Wait, so they sent you to find me?"

"Yes?"

"But... until the day I woke up from the ice, no one knew I was alive. Why did they send you to find someone who wasn't known to even be alive?" Zuko fell silent, and his eyebrows furrowed. Aang just tilted his head, wanting an answer.

"T-they had to know, they wouldn't have sent me if they didn't!" Aang just nodded, not wanting to set him off. The cave fell silent again, but this was a warm silence, not awkward like it had been. He sat quietly, until the though hed had for a while finally presented itself in his brain.

"Oh! We should be friends!" Zuko's head whipped up, and the look of confusion put a feeling of dread in Aang's stomach.

"What... what is a friend?" 

Maybe the scandalized gasp was a bit too much, but it was justified! How could someone go through life without having friends?

"You've never had a friend?!?"

  
  


Zuko stared at the Ava- Aang, almost not comprehending. Why was having a 'friend' so important?

"Uh... no, why?"

"Really!? Wow, that must have been really lonely..." 

Zuko wasn't quite sure how, but the way Aang went so quickly from happy to kind of sad made him feel, somehow, even more awkward in the situation.

"Well, I'll just have to be your friend!"

What.

"What."

Aang giggled, looking every bit the 12-year-old he actually was.

"Yeah! You need a friend, so I'll be your friend!" Zuko blinked, before shrugging. They'd already shared trauma-ish, so yeah, they could be 'friends'.

"Don't think I still won't try to capture you though!" The threat didn't come out right, sounding less serious and more like the friendly banter Uncle Iroh kept drawing him into. Aang giggled again, and Zuko felt his heart get just a little lighter.

Maybe... maybe Aang wasn't that bad.


	2. Building Friendship

“Zuko! Psst, Zuko!” Zuko grunted, feeling something excitedly patting at his shoulder.

It had been three days since the storm, and three days since he’d somehow become the Av- Aang’s friend. Right now, he was trying to sleep, but the insistent patting somehow grew more stubborn.

“Ugh, what is- Aang?” His gaze lit on the tiny Airbender, who was wearing an excited grin. Zuko just stared, before his brain caught up and he realized the big issue with this meeting.

“Aang- this is my ship! Why- How- Why are you here, you’re gonna get caught!” His hissed questions just made Aang giggle, soft silver eyes alight with humor and joy.

“Shshshshsh, you’re gonna get me caught! Security was super lax, but maybe don’t fix that- anyways, get dressed, I wanna show you something!” Zuko made a show of grumbling, but in the end he was dressed in comfortable, warm clothing and was climbing  _ on top _ of Aang’s glider.

“Are you sure this’ll hold?”

“Pfft, I did this all the time with my f- my friends back at the Southern Air Temple! Don’t worry, it’s easier than you’d think!” Ignoring the slight hesitance at the word ‘friends’, Zuko clambered to the top and lightly gripped onto the top of the largest fan, the one that Aang’s back quickly pressed against. 

“Hold on, Zuko!” Aang started running, and kicked off the ground, and then Zuko was flying-

Almost against his will, he was entranced by the stars. His head tilted up a bit, and he was so caught up that he barely noticed Aang slowing the glider down so he could stare for longer. They twinkled softly at him, silvers and whites and sometimes purples and blues melding together in the most beautiful way, and below him Aang chuckled a little bit.

“They’re amazing, aren’t they?” Zuko just nodded, feeling an awed ‘yeah…’ slip out of his mouth. 

But eventually, it had to end, as Aang's glider slowly started pointing down to the ground. Zuko swallowed back the annoyed groan that threatened to bubble out of his throat at the loss of the stars, and looked to where they were landing. It was an encased area in the ground, a large circular pit of rock. It was huge, almost the size of a sparring arena, with a small but deep river winding through the center of it. 

What was Aang getting at here?   


“Sooo… I was wondering if youandIcouldspartogether?” Zuko blinked. The end of Aang’s sentence had mashed together into a nigh-incomprehensible mess, and he held his hands up, feeling every bit as awkward as he had that stormy night.

“Uh. Repeat, please? Sorry, I didn’t hear the whole thing.” Aang’s face flushed red, and he played with the fraying edge of his cape as he repeated his statement.

“Could w-we spar, or something?” Zuko’s brain screeched to a halt yet again as he comprehended just what Aang was asking.

“Aang- you really want to fight? You’re a pacifist, I’m still technically your enemy, and-”   


“I-I know that! Just… I want to know other, non-violent, ways of defending myself!” Zuko raised an eyebrow. Aang really wanted to fight? 

“Bending or no?” Aang looked up, seemingly startled that he actually said yes. But quickly, the surprise and hope in those starry eyes drained away to happiness and excitement.

“O-oh, uh, no Bending! I want to work on stuff without relying on my Air!” Zuko simply nodded, speaking one more time.

“Just remember, Aang. You’re a pacifist, but others aren’t. They’re not afraid to throw a punch, so you need to be better at dodging than others” Aang’s eyes glimmered before he nodded, obviously mulling over Zuko’s words. Zuko shed his shirt, knowing that it would be better to spar without, although he noted Aang keeping himself fully clothed. They took up battle stances, and Zuko stared his opponent down. With determination in his eyes, Aang held his hand out and gestured between himself and Zuko.

A clear invitation.

Slowly, late-night spars turned from simply learning to just fun, more often than not ending with one of them thrown into the closest handy water source and Zuko creatively applying Firebending to dry them off. One time, Aang’s pet bat-lemur came along, and the next thing Zuko knew there was lemur fur in his face as the little thing explored him, screeching.

They always met in a half-way between their two camps, at least, that’s what Aang told Zuko. And at this point, Zuko didn’t waste time not believing him. What he’d learned about Aang is that the boy was sometimes brutally honest, even though he always managed to make even the harshest statement land softer than it should’ve. But through it all, the Prince and the Avatar slowly formed a stronger and stronger bond. 

Which is obviously how Zuko reasoned this to be happening. 

Aang had gone flying off a cliff in their newest battle arena with a loud squawk of surprise, and Zuko’s heart leapt into his throat as he rushed to peer over the edge.

Aang resurfaced from the small lake with spluttered breath, shivering in the cold night. With a gust of wind, Air curled around his small frame and pulled him back up the cliff face, and he stumbled into Zuko as he landed on the floor. Zuko draped an arm under his arms and supported him as they walked back to the stone of their improvised battle arena, and he gently set Aang down as he searched his person for some sort of kindle. Plopping down next to his friend, he kept patting his pockets, at least, until a tiny wet bundle of something pressed into his side.

Zuko froze, because Aang was nuzzling into his side with a murmur of satisfaction, curling into the natural warmth that all Firebenders seem to release from their bodies. As he watched, the 12-year-old buried his head a little deeper into his ribs, putting a soft warmth onto the bare skin of his scalp.

“Uh… Aaaaang?” He just got a mumbled response from the little barnacle attached to him.

Zuko just sat there, not quite sure what to do with himself. Aang was… honestly, they were basically best friends at this point. Did one’s friends normally dig into their side and leech them for their heat?

He… supposed so?

He awkwardly shuffled around until they were laying on the ground, because Zuko’s back was starting to ache from the spar. He didn’t even notice when his own vision darkened, his consciousness dropping into the abyss of sleep.

  
  


The familiar scent of his uncle’s breakfast tea roused Zuko’s mind, and he groaned, yawned, and tried to stretch. Keyword: tried.

There was something laying on his arm, a warm heavy mass. He unconsciously wriggled a little bit into the warmth, enjoying the way it pressed comfortingly against him. It was odd. For the first time since he’d met Aang, his sleep was completely unbothered. 

And then he realized that the ground under him was not his bed.

Stilling, he tried to locate just what he was on. It wasn’t the metal floor of his quarters; it felt like dirt. 

“Ah, Prince Zuko! You’re awake, just in time for a cup of tea!” Well, there was Uncle Iroh. So where…

He opened his eyes and looked down, trying to find the weight on his arm. He was laying on his side, gently cradling a curled up lump of orange and yellow fabric that was half buried in his chest. He studied the lump, mind only just beginning to work.

Aang had fallen into the lake while fighting, and then Zuko tried to find tinder to light a fire, then he had sat next to the Avatar and-

Oh. Yeah. That was Aang.

Shrugging his free arm a little bit to get the joints working again, he gently shook Aang’s shoulder. A muffled  _ ‘mrrp’ _ noise, almost like the kitten-bee he’d seen back in the Fire Nation, and Aang was stretching out, cat-like. He yawned, star-like eyes blinking sleepily open. The arrows on his hand flexed as he worked his fingers into full awareness, rubbing at his eyes as he blinked up at Zuko.

“Z’ko… why’re we ‘waaaaaaake…” Zuko stifled a snicker at Aang’s mumbled question, before his blood went cold at the familiar chuckle. He bolted upright, making Aang fall to the ground with a quiet yelp, and turned to face Uncle Iroh.

He was perched on a log he’d obviously dragged into the clearing, tea steeping next to a merrily crackling fire with some stone bowls simmering over it. 

If Zuko could get any redder, he was positive that he’d burst out into flames. Shoving his face into his hands, he tried to conceal the strawberry hue of his face from his uncle, who he was sure would laugh at him.

“Zuko? Y’okay?” Aang sat up, now about 3/4s awake, and then he glanced past Zuko.

Zuko had to admit, he felt the flush arrive. But actually watching the Avatar, the one with enough power to shake the ground and change the world, squeak in a rather undignified way and go bright red in the timespan of about 0.3 seconds was pretty humorous to watch. Uncle Iroh’s booming laughter rolled through the clearing, a light-hearted grin on the man’s face.

  
  


“So, Zuko, the Avatar, huh? Is this the friend you’ve been sneaking out to meet?”   


“You know about that?”   


“YOU KNOW ABOUT THAT?” Aang ignored his friend’s agonized moan of embarrassment, opting instead to scrutinize the man that must have been Iroh.

“Well, Avatar, I’ve cooked up breakfast if you want it. Here, this bowl is yours. No meat!” A metal bowl that was swiftly and skillfully wrapped in plant fiber was passed to him, and Aang took it hesitantly, expecting to be burnt by the heated metal. Instead, the plants insulated the heat, making it just the right side of too warm for his hands. He sniffed the bowl, and he could almost immediately tell that it was a rather mild soup. Judging from the smell that made his eyes water from the other two bowls, his was the only mild one there.

“A-ah,  _ enkosi! _ ” A small wooden cup of something warm was passed to him, and with another utter of ‘ _ Enkosi’ _ Aang took a sip of the drink.

Almost instantly, he almost choked on the flavor. It was probably some sort of tea, but it was so much more bitter than the tea from the Air Temples! The fruit that thrived in their mountain was sweet and juicy, and it made for a rather sweet tea. This was obviously not a fruit tea, although the bitterness wasn’t entirely bad. It was definitely better now that it sat on his tongue, but Aang still much preferred the Airbender’s teas. Swallowing the mouthful he had, he gently placed the cup onto the floor and picked up his soup bowl.

“Aang? What did you say earlier?” He stopped the bowl half-way to his lips and lowered it again, tilting his head at Zuko.

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Uh, it was enkoshi or something…”

“Oh, no no no! It’s  _ enkosi _ , pronounced en-koo-si! It means ‘thank you’ in the Air Monks’ own language!”   


“The Air Monks had their own  _ language _ ?”

“Oh, yeah! Of course they do! Like- here, this is how you say ‘Firebender…’”

  
  
  


“It’s Zuko! Aang, go!” Aang tossed a glance behind him, indeed seeing Zuko’s ship quickly sailing up to Appa. He tugged on Appa’s reins, speeding them up.

“Appa, yip yip!” They zoomed away, but not in time for Aang to not hear what Zuko shouted after them.

_ “Nonke ninobuchopho obunobungakanani bealnuts kunye neentliziyo zentlanzi! Ngaphandle kwakho, Avatar, ulungile!” _

Once Appa got far enough away from the Fire Prince’s crew, Aang landed him in a wooded swath of land, hopped off of his sky bison's head, walked a little ways into the trees, and proceeded to laugh his lungs out of his chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What Zuko screeches at them in the end vaguely means 'You all have brains the size of walnuts and hearts like the yellowbelly fish! Except you, Avatar, you're cool!'  
> pure fluff p much  
> also I feel like Zuko is OOC but Im also trying to make him an awkward turtleduck soooo


	3. Chapter 3

Aang landed softly on the rock, letting Zuko scramble off of his glider before he flipped it around. He quickly turned, looking Zuko in his sun-gold eyes.

It was quiet.

Then both of them doubled over in hysterical laughter, in a show rare for Zuko and not-so-rare for Aang.

Aang was laughing hard enough that it was difficult for him to breathe, let alone talk, but he still forced the question out.

“Did- was- did you mean to say that or-  _ pfft _ , was that intentional?” Zuko just shook his head, face bright red from cheer.

“No- it just slipped out and-” Both of their laughter doubled, Aang pretty much on the floor at this point and Zuko getting very close to it. After a few moments, he wheezed out-

“Holy- that was glorious-” Zuko nodded, wiping a tear of mirth from his right eye. He was finally getting his breath under control, and Aang was still wheezing on the floor.

It felt good to laugh this hard with a friend.

  
  


Aang ran through the fortress, staff in hand and mysterious Blue Spirit at his side. He had swallowed down the exclamations of fear when he saw the tall blue-masked person, wielding swords, and now it was replaced with adrenaline.

He was gonna get one heck of a crash, wasn’t he?   
But they were out of the gates!

Everything was a blue, of bamboo ladders and flame, but it ended with his and the Spirit’s backs to the gate and rows and rows of Firebenders ready to char them.

Then razor-sharp blades glinting silver in the moonlight were drawn, settling lightly against his throat. Aang froze, feeling the sharp edge prickling his neck. Swallowing, he felt a warm feeling and then a tiny drip of blood from the shallow cut.

Blue Spirit didn’t speak, but his message was clear. If they tried to hurt him, or Aang, their oh-so-precious Avatar would die. 

The gate creaked open, and they were walking backwards, and then smoke, the Blue Spirit’s weight went dead, he was surrounded-

Before he fled, he looked back at the Blue Spirit. His mask had come off the tiniest bit, just enough to show a scar on the right side of his face.

  
  
  


Zuko blinked awake, hissing through his teeth when he saw sunlight streaming through leaves. His head pounded, and he groaned when he shifted to a more comfortable position.

“Zuko! You’re awake!” Aang’s cheery voice made him groan again, the noise sending stabs of pain through his head. He looked up, head protesting the movement, and saw Aang wearing-

“Aang, is that my Blue Spirit mask?”   


“Yep, it got knocked off!” Zuko sat up slowly, smelling the bitter scent of herbal tea boiling over a fireplace.

“Why is there tea?”   


“To help your headache!”   


“Fire Lord Ozai strike me down.”   


“Zuko, nO-”

  
  
  


Zuko had just clambered off Aang’s staff when he heard the boy whistling a tune, singing something under his breath. He tilted his head, trying to catch the words. It sounded like the language of the Monks that he had been taught earlier, a song.

“Hey, Aang, what are you singing?” The Avatar jumped high enough to touch the tops of the pine trees in the clearing, cheeks blushing a rosy pink in embarrassment.

“Uh- nothing! It’s just an old song that my people sang at gatherings and such-”   


“Can I hear it?”    


“W-what?”

“Yeah, I kinda wanna hear it.” Aang hummed to himself, trepidation clear. Zuko pursed his lips, and decided on what he would do.

“If you sing it, I’ll sing a song from the Fire Nation…” Aang now looked rather torn. It was clear that he wanted to hear the Fire Nation song, but he had to decide if it was worth singing his own song first. His silver eyes hardened with determination, then-

“Okay, okay. I’ll sing the song.” Zuko smirked and plopped down onto the floor, leaning against a tree trunk. Aang sat down himself, a little more hesitantly, and started playing with his robe. It was quiet, but then Zuko heard a small voice start to twist through the night.

_ “Kwake kwathi gqi jolly swagman wamisa inkampu yi-bilabong _

_ Ngaphantsi komthi womthi opholileyo, _

_ Wayecula xa ebukele kwaye elinde i-billy yakhe ebilisiwe _

_ Uya kuza no-Waltzing Matilda, nam.” _

Almost instantly, Zuko was hooked by the song. It was both haunting and cheery, and even if he could barely tell what it meant he could tell that it was about love.

_ “Waltzing Matilda, Matilda, sithandwa sam, _

_ Uya kuza no-Waltzing Matilda, nam _

_ Wacula ebukele elinde i-billy yakhe ebilisiwe, _

_ Uya kuza no-Waltzing Matilda, nam _

_ Wehla wehla ephuza ukusela kwindawo yentengiso, _

_ Uphakame watsibela umqombisi wambamba ngamehlo, _

_ Utsho ehleka ejonga loo mbumbulu kwingxowa yakhe yempahla, _

_ Uya kuza no-Waltzing Matilda, nam _

_ Waltzing Matilda, Matilda, sithandwa sam, _

_ Uya kuza no-Waltzing Matilda, nam _

_ Utsho ehleka ejonga loo mbumbulu kwingxowa yakhe yempahla, _

_ Uya kuza no-Waltzing Matilda, nam.” _

Aang’s head tilted slightly back as he sang, his voice getting a little stronger. Zuko felt his own eyes close at the soothing sound.

_ “Ewe, wakhwela i-squatter, wakhwela phezu kwento yakhe entle, _

_ Bakhwela abakhweli, enye, ezimbini, ezintathu, _

_ Iphi le jolly jumbuck onayo kwi tucker bag yakho? _

_ Uya kuza no-Waltzing Matilda, nam. _

_ Waltzing Matilda, Matilda, sithandwa sam, _

_ Uya kuza no-Waltzing Matilda, nam _

_ Iphi le jolly jumbuck onayo kwi tucker bag yakho? _

_ Uya kuza no-Waltzing Matilda, nam. _

_ Uphakame wagxuma umgqugqobhoza wangena kwi-Billabong, _

_ Awusoze undibambe uphila, utshilo, _

_ Isiporho sakhe sinokuvakala njengoko udlula kuloo bilabong, _

_ Uya kuza no-Waltzing Matilda, nam. _

_ Waltzing Matilda, Matilda, sithandwa sam, _

_ Uya kuza no-Waltzing Matilda, nam _

_ Isiporho sakhe sinokuvakala njengoko udlula kuloo bilabong, _

_ Uya kuza no-Waltzing Matilda, nam.” _

The song petered off, and Zuko opened his eyes to see Aang sitting there peacefully, looking up at the stars. He shifted silently, watching Aang’s face, and with this he was able to see the silent tears that started slipping down the 12-year-old’s face. 

Worry shot through Zuko and he scrambled over to Aang, sitting next to him. He was pulled into a hug as the Avatar cried softly into his shirt, and he just warmed his side up and tried to offer comfort. 

“A-Aang? Are you… okay?” Can he somehow know just what to say please? Agni, answer his prayers?

….

Well no words were popping into his head. Thanks, Agni.

Aang sniffled once, before speaking in a halted, choked voice.

“T-that song was the one I sang with Monk Gyatso, the night that I ran.”

Oh.

_ Oh _ .

Zuko had been wondering why he was crying over a song, but that pretty much solidified it. That was probably the last time he’d seen his mentor, before running away, doing something, and coming back to find their demise. 

Yikes.

Uh… what should he do here? Aang probably needed to talk, but Agni knows that he wasn’t good at that.

Well, he knew the way back to the ship.

Standing up, he pulled Aang up with him and awkwardly settled the monk on his hip. Aang curled in on himself and into his side, and he was struck yet again by how  _ small _ the Avatar was. 

Off to Uncle Iroh’s guidance it is.

  
  
  


Won didn’t deserve this job.

He pinched the metal covering the bridge of his nose as he led General Iroh outside, gesturing broadly at the flames spelling out the words in the sky. General Iroh hummed, seemingly amused.

“I didn’t know he had this much control! I’ll go, he needs something.” 

Spelled across the sky in flame was

**_‘NEED UNCLE IROH, REASON NOT FOR GUARDS TO KNOW’_ **

Why was Won here again?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> zuko being an awkward turtleduck is my reason for life ok

**Author's Note:**

> Zukaang Friendship bc I love Zukaang Friendship  
> honestly their dynamic is so cool? and I thought about this while watching The Storm so I rolled with it  
> See yall around, you beautiful kiwis!


End file.
